A Touch of Magic
by Tallulah99
Summary: Six years have passed since Sarah defeated the Labyrinth. With a set of powers she can’t control and a certain supercilious Goblin King lingering in her life, Sarah thought there wasn’t anything left that could surprise her...she was wrong.


**A Touch of Magic**

By: Tallulah

"You're being unreasonable," Sarah said for the tenth time, though she didn't know why she was bothering at this point. It was pretty clear to her, as well as the handful of her neighbors who happened to be in the parking lot when her boyfriend decided to make an ass of himself, that this was the swan song of a short lived and clearly rather ill advised relationship.

"You were making out with another guy!" David reiterated for at _least _the tenth time, loudly. "How am_ I_ the one that's being unreasonable?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the door of his car, glancing briefly at their small audience.

Sarah's face flushed and she felt her irritation ratchet up several notches. He was making a scene on purpose. What the hell had she been thinking by going out with this guy? She glanced longingly across the lot at her own car. She should just walk away from this, get in it and drive away. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to compose herself. "Look, I already told you. I wasn't making out with him. I know what it looked like, but I was just working on a scene with my drama partner. For God's sake, David, Hans is _gay_!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said with a dismissive wave and then chuckled nastily. "God Sarah, if I'd known you were that easy, I wouldn't have bothered taking you out to dinner first."

Sarah's temper flared like a supernova and brought along with it the familiar prickly sensation she had come to know and hate over the past six years. She had just enough time to think 'oh no!' before a wuff of displaced air blew her hair back and her car exploded.

David hit the deck and cowered against the protective barrier of his car as tiny bits of smoldering mustang rained down around him. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, "what the hell was that?"

Sarah never even flinched, but stood watching her car burn with glum resignation. "Oh, man!" she said finally, "I loved that car!"

Leaning against the window in her little apartment a few hours later, Sarah watched as the still smoking hulk of her car rolled out of the parking lot on the back of a wrecker, bound for its final resting place at the town junk yard. She sighed.

Right now, more than anything else she just wanted to crawl into bed bury her face in her pillow and wait for this horrible day to be over. It was no good though; this had gone on for far too long and caused far too much damage. After six years of strange occurrences, coincidental 'accidents' and the overall plain weirdness that seemed to follow her wherever she went, Sarah had had quite enough. She took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"Jareth!" she called out into the empty room, feeling foolish. "Jareth, can you hear me?"

"Of course I can hear you, you needn't shout." His smooth voice was tinged with amusement, and coming from just over her left shoulder.

God she hated it when he did that. Couldn't the man enter a room like a normal person? Wincing, she turned to face him.

The inscrutable King of the Goblins, ruler of the Underground and master of the Labyrinth, reclined gracefully against the cushions of her sofa, looking regal as ever. He was dressed in his customary finery, his flamboyant appearance an odd juxtaposition against the well worn furniture of the perennially broke college student. As always, a thrill of unease went through her as she stood before him. Just being in the same room with him made her feel off balance.

"I take it that you have finally come to your senses," he said with a slow smile.

"Hardly," Sarah replied snappishly. "Calling on you is the absolute last thing I want to do." She gave him an even look, "but you know that already."

"You have told me so often enough," Jareth agreed, getting to his feet. She fought down the desire to take a step away from him. "So why now, Sarah?" he asked, almost playfully, "Why have you chosen this day to break your vow to…how did you put it? To 'never give me the satisfaction'?"

Sarah inclined her head, determined to not let his incessant teasing get to her, "It was my car…" she began and then trailed off, embarrassed.

Jareth raised an oddly sculpted eyebrow, "Yes?"

Sarah flushed. "It…blew up."

She had expected laughter, ridicule, or at the very least a knowing smirk, but he frowned and looked…concerned. "You were not in it, I hope?"

"Do I look like I got blown up today?" She asked, exasperated. "Of course I wasn't in it! Nonetheless, _my car blew up_."

"That is a shame," he said, "I know you were quite fond of it."

"Yeah, I uh…was." His usual affectations – condescension, disdain, mockery – those she had expected; sympathy was throwing her off her game a bit.

"Listen, Jareth," she said, sitting on the ottoman across the coffee table from him, ready to just get this whole thing over with, "Most of the other stuff that's happened has been pretty harmless, but this wasn't a dropped lunch tray or a missing bike. Someone could have really gotten hurt today." She sighed and dropped her head into her hands, frustrated, tired and not at all happy to have to say the words. "I guess I'm just trying to say…I'm ready. I might not like it, but…I need you."

There. It was out; she had said it. She looked up from the carpet, fully prepared to see triumph or at least a little gloating, but instead he just looked…_sad_.

He walked around the table and sat on it, facing her, his leather booted calf nearly brushing her own jeans clad knee. "I know this is a step you didn't wish to take. I'm very sorry for you, Sarah," he said.

"I just bet," she said acerbically and buried her face in her hands again. She was trying to console herself, trying to convince that nagging voice in her head that she really didn't have a choice.

For six years she had resisted every offer Jareth had made to help her learn to control the powers she had been given, the stupid, horrible powers that the Labyrinth had seen fit to saddle her with as some sort of absurd parting gift. She hadn't wanted them then and she still didn't want them now, but it was clear that she was going to have to learn to deal with them before someone ended up getting hurt. If David had been standing closer to her car when her temper got the better of her…

"You were angry," Jareth said, as though reading her mind.

She nodded miserably. It always happened when she was angry. She could feel the power there at all times of course, just hovering in her subconscious, waiting, but when she was angry or upset, when her emotions got the better of her, that was when she lost her inadequate hold on it, and things…happened. Mrs. Turskey's dog ended up inexplicably on the roof when it wouldn't stop barking during finals week, Derek Roger's bike vanished into apparent thin air _while he was riding it_ after he had teased Sarah on the way home from school and now of course, _her car_.

"David…that is, my boyfriend and I got into an argument." She began, noticing Jareth go completely and unnaturally still at 'boyfriend'. She hesitated, but he said nothing so she continued, "Really, it was more than an argument, it was a fight, and I was angry and he was leaving and then…my car exploded." She slumped unhappily back against the chair and said morosely, "I nearly blew up my boyfriend."

"And what was your argument about, pray tell?" Jareth's voice was calm and his face composed, but some cold emotion brightened his strangely mismatched eyes. Without even the slightest change of expression he suddenly looked…dangerous.

Taken aback, Sarah stuttered, "It wasn't…it's not important." She resolved immediately against full disclosure, deciding that it would probably not bode well for David's continued health. And really, what Jareth didn't know about the catastrophic end to another of her catastrophic relationships wouldn't hurt him…or David either for that matter. "What matters is I could have hurt someone, and it needs to stop. I need to stop."

The fire in his eyes softened, "You are not dangerous, Sarah," he said, gently.

She snorted, "Tell that to my car."

He shook his head and reached out, taking her hands between his own, an oddly tender gesture for the capricious king. "Your anger provides a channel for the magic, yes, but only because you are less in control of your emotions when you are angry. It is still ultimately you who wields it, though you do so inexpertly. You are not a violent person, Sarah. You would not have hurt your…_boyfriend _no matter how angry you were."

Sarah stared at her hands, clasped as they were between the black-gloved fingers of the strange being in front of her. It was odd to be touching him, to feel the warmth of his hands through the leathery texture of the ubiquitous gloves. She couldn't remember ever welcoming his touch before, or for that matter ever having him initiate any sort of contact between them at all. He had always been standoffish and aloof when they met, his manner casual when it wasn't supercilious or condescending. Now it was somehow comforting to feel as though he shared her burden. She had resisted his help for so long, wanting a normal life, wanting back the life she had lead before her journey through the Labyrinth. She had fought the magic that coursed through her veins, alternately denying and cursing its existence, and now she would learn to live with it because she simply had no other choice.

"Why did this happen to me?" Sarah asked quietly. It was a straightforward question, but one that had burned inside her, unspoken, for years. She had been so angry when Jareth had popped back into her life, unbidden and unwelcome as the powers she suddenly found herself saddled with, she had been in no mood to ask him anything then. Today she felt like she was moving forward, swallowing her pride and putting such childishness behind her. Today seemed like a good day for answers.

Jareth's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly on her own. "It is a loaded question, Sarah."

She looked up from their entwined fingers, and met his eyes questioningly. "What's to be loaded about? I solved the Labyrinth, I got Toby back. It was just like the book said. I just don't remember the part in the brochure that mentioned the special magical powers bonus prize." She gave a half-hearted laugh.

"Then let us call it a simple question, but one which requires a rather complex answer," Jareth replied carefully. "Perhaps we should speak of it on another occasion."

Sarah felt a twinge of disquiet and carefully extracted her hands from Jareth's unresisting ones. "No," she said, shaking her head and sliding back, putting some necessary distance between them, "I think we should speak of it on this occasion; now in fact."

He allowed his hands to drop to his knees, "Yes, perhaps it is time," he sighed and got to his feet. "Do you still have the book, Sarah?"

"What b…" Sarah began and then a light dawned. "Oh, that book." She gave him a suspicious look, "Of course I do, why?"

Without answering he cast a questioning glance at the packed bookshelves that lined one wall of the room.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's on the uh…third shelf, maybe?"

Jareth stood again and walked to the far side of the room where he reached unerringly for a slim volume bound in red leather. He turned the book over in his hands for a moment, caressing the worn cover with gentle fingers. "Such a small thing to cause so much trouble," he murmured softly. He turned back to her, flourishing the book in one elegant hand, "Do you have any idea what this is?" he asked.

"A…book?" Sarah ventured.

Jareth gave her a long look. "And to think you once had such a rich imagination," he said wryly. "Of _course_ it's a book, but it is also a summons, an invitation if you will."

Sarah narrowed her eyes, puzzled. "An invitation? An invitation to what?"

"To show your worth, to test your courage against the Labyrinth itself." He said, his eyes intent on her face.

She gave him a searching look. "What? On purpose? Why would anyone _choose_ to go through that?"

Jareth shook his head, "It's not a matter of choice, Sarah. It's a matter of destiny." He held the book up again and the flaking gold script on its worn leather cover glinted dully in the lamplight. "The book was seeded into your world with a purpose," he said. He paused again, watching her carefully, "It was created by the Labyrinth as a beacon to draw in to her that which she lacked…a queen."

"But that's ridiculous," Sarah said, the quaver in her voice belying the certainty of her words. "I found that stupid thing behind a row of manuscripts in a rare book shop in Boston. Not the most auspicious place to keep a sword in a stone is it?"

"And yet you did find it," he said softly.

Sarah felt cold all over. An icy knot had formed in her stomach as inevitable realization slowly began to dawn. "What are you trying to tell me?" she asked hoarsely.

"The Labyrinth chooses her champions," Jareth said, his eyes intent on the book in front of him as he traced the elegant script with a gloved finger. "They must prove their worth once they answer the summons of course, but it is she who chooses those that may try." Almost reluctantly Jareth looked up from the book. "She chose you, Sarah."

"And I defeated her," she said dully. "Which means…," she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"You are the Queen of the Goblins, Sarah. You have been for some time."

"Oh my god," she moaned and leaned forward, sticking her head between her knees to stop the dark spots that swam across her vision. She was going to be sick.

The next thing she knew she was lying on the floor of her living room, staring up at the lazily spinning ceiling fan with Jareth's concerned face hovering over her. "Are you all right?" he asked, a thoroughly absurd question in her opinion.

"No. No I am not alright," she said as she rolled onto her side, away from him, avoiding the hand he extended to help her to her feet. "I am, in fact, the exact opposite of alright. Alright and I are not going to see each other again for a very long time." She finally managed to lever herself into an upright position, but was not yet ready to try and stand. "How could you do this to me? You bastard, _how could you do this to me?_"

"It was not I who…"

"You know what?" Sarah interrupted, forestalling him with a raised hand from her seat on the floor. "I don't care. I don't want to hear it. Just fix it. I don't care what you have to do, but _fix it_!"

"I cannot," he said simply. "I am sorry, Sarah, but that I cannot do."

"Cannot or will not?" Sarah asked coldly. Feeling slightly less dizzy, she pushed herself to her feet, making sure to keep the heavy chair between them. "God, Jareth, couldn't you just use a dating service or something?"

The Goblin King's face went completely white with fury. In a blink he had bridged the space between them, his face inches from her own.

"I am losing patience with you, _child_," he hissed. "I have given you time, Sarah. I have bided quietly by, waiting for you to grow up, waiting for you to swallow your foolish pride and let me teach you, to let me help you take the steps to becoming the queen you are meant to be. But I am not a patient man and there are limits to my generosity."

Sarah recoiled from the assault, back hard against the wall.

Jareth went on with cold disdain, "As for your insinuation, distasteful as it is for me to address, please allow me to set your delicate mind at ease when I assure you that you are in no way beholden to be my _wife_," he spat the word, "or a consort of any kind. You are the Goblin Queen and Mistress of the Underground. Those are your titles and your responsibilities. You are in no way obligated to share a meal with me, much less my bed. I do hope that sets to rest any fears you might be harboring on that account." With that he turned and stalked away from her.

Sarah's strength ebbed and she slid heavily to the floor. _This can't be happening to me_, she thought helplessly and buried her face in her hands, waiting for the inevitable wave of panic to wash over her…but it didn't come. There was no doubt that she was confused and angry and yes, if she were honest, afraid, but not in the way she would have expected given the magnitude of Jareth's revelation. It wasn't exactly _fear_ she realized suddenly, at least not by the strictest definition, it was _anticipation_. Her mind balked at such easy acceptance, but there was that voice, that little voice in the back of her mind that chided her with gentle reproval. _You knew. You've known all along_.

"No," she said softly, but the acknowledgement was almost a relief. She _had_ known. She had known the first time Jareth popped back into her life, reappearing like a figure from a dream, smirking in arrogant pleasure over the appalled discomfiture of a silly teenage girl. Even then she had thought _it's not over_, and been _glad_.

She had brought more back with her from the Labyrinth than just her baby brother and a life lesson, and it had terrified her. She hadn't wanted the powers, hadn't wanted to see what must lay behind them. She simply had not been _ready._

_And are you now?_ the voice asked and without thinking she answered, "yes," and realized she meant it. She was ready. She was afraid certainly, frightened of the unknown journey in front of her and the blank page her future had suddenly become, but she was ready to face it now. This was the path her life had been taking all along.

Sarah stood, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, unconsciously adopting the bearing of the queen she hadn't known she was. "Jareth," she said.

He turned to face her slowly, his expression still dark and surly.

"You're going to teach me, right? Teach me how to control the magic?"

He nodded, a single sharp jerk of the head.

"And then I will actually be the Queen of the Labyrinth? Serving…er, reigning along with you in the Underground?"

Another perfunctory nod, but the lines on his face relaxed slightly.

Sarah took a deep breath and then nodded herself. "Okay," she said softly. "I'm ready…at least I think I'm ready."

Jareth tilted his head to the side and regarded her silently for a long moment. "You will make an extraordinary queen, Sarah," he said finally.

Sarah managed a tiny smile. "Maybe one day," she said and then chuckled, "You've certainly got your work cut out for you now though."

Jareth waved dismissively, "I am an excellent teacher, you will learn quickly." He held out a hand, "Come, we will begin immediately."

Sarah crossed the room and self-consciously slipped her hand into his. She looked at their entwined fingers for a moment and thought how strange it was that this suddenly felt Inormal/I. She tilted her head back and looked up at him, "So does this mean I get to learn the owl trick?"

"Owl trick?" Jareth said, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know; tall, dark and enigmatic to small, soft and fluffy in three seconds or less?" Sarah smiled, "I'm looking forward to that one."

Jareth narrowed his eyes and leaned in close, his strange eyes glittering with suppressed amusement, "Why don't we begin your education with something a little simpler, say a short study on how _not _to blow things up?"

Sarah's laugh rang out musically. The sound hung for a moment in the suddenly empty room and then faded to nothing along with the final rays of the sun as the night set in.

A/N: This was written for outinthestorm for the Labyfic exchange over on LiveJournal. Her prompts were: 1) _The origins of the book – was it really designed to bring Sarah to the Labyrinth, or was it co-incidence? How did it fall into her hands? I would like a new take on this._ and _2) If Sarah did get special powers from beating the Labyrinth, how does she use them in everyday life? Does she try to be normal, or does she have a whole secret identity thing going on?_


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